Bird Photo Competition 6 2017 : Results

  • Competition Winner : First Prize
  • $657.20
  • Judges Comment
  • This image stands out by being both humorous and engaging. An owl with a spider on its head is not something many of us will ever see, so there is interest value from the outset. A bird portrait with eye contact will also normally be more engaging to a viewer than one without. In this case, however, it's the owl's expression that really elevates the image, because it's pretty much exactly the expression most humans would have if we had to put up with having a spider on our heads, especially whilst having our photos taken. The clean composition with quirky framing further add to the visual impact.
  • Photographers Comment
  • My name is Maria Serrano. I am so honored to have received this recognition! Thank you! This image is titled 'There's Something on my Head, Isn't There?' I took this image in Salton Sea with a Nikon D810 paired up with a Nikon 500mm on a tripod with a Gimbal head. I made edits for contrast, vibrance, shadows, and cropping using Lightroom. This is one of those times when it paid off to stay with my subject for an extended period of time...inching my way closer and closer without causing stress. One of those very lucky days!
  • suspendednature.com
  • Mark Of Excellence
  • Judges Comment
  • Creating interesting images of massed birds in flight is always challenging due to the difficulty of finding a focal point. Here, though, interest comes from the graduated sky tone, emphasised by the monochrome rendition.
  • Mark Of Excellence
  • Judges Comment
  • A very pleasing portrait of a cuckoo in soft lighting against a diffuse background.
  • Photographers Comment
  • Cuckoo..Surrey,England. Canon 7D MKII ..Canon EF 500/f4 L IS MKII
  • Mark Of Excellence
  • Judges Comment
  • Photos of kingfishers fishing are now common, but they are still challenging and this is a perfectly-timed example.
  • Mark Of Excellence
  • Judges Comment
  • A winning combination of sharp eyes and graceful curves due to just the right amount of motion blur.
  • Mark Of Excellence
  • Judges Comment
  • An unusual behavioural record of a crane preying on a bird.
  • Mark Of Excellence
  • Judges Comment
  • A classically-posed Dartford Warbler in song on a natural perch, well isolated from a complementary backdrop.
  • Photographers Comment
  • An early morning Dartford Warbler taken in my home county of Suffolk,England. Canon 7D MKII ..Canon Ef 500 F4 L IS MKII + 1.4X extender.
  • Mark Of Excellence
  • Judges Comment
  • Nice placement of a cormorant (which actually appears four times, including shadows and reflections) within a sterile manmade setting.
  • Mark Of Excellence
  • Judges Comment
  • Accurate placement of the bird in the reflection of the setting sun creates a great focal point, made all the better by the centred vertical crop.